Tag Archives: People First of Washington

This is been a year long battle with The Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities regarding their rapid elimination of special certificates that can allow specific people with specific disabilities to work at a specific job for a wage that may be less than the minimum wage. While they are calling these certificates “discrimination”, the certificates can actually provide people with an alternative for community integration that they may not have now.

This Commission and those organizations that have signed onto this thought process believing that just raising the wages will enhance these people’s lives have forgotten to ask the affected people themselves. Some very important information regarding critical issues that people with disabilities who have significant support needs and how those needs are going to be accommodated have not been addressed.

This is the fallout of making laws without collaboration and without addressing the concerns of those who are directly involved. The Commission refused to address a variety of concerns from stakeholders saying that those concerns didn’t matter and had nothing to do with the certificates or elimination of sub-minimum wage.

The facts are very different – there were 8 employees in Seattle who were making a sub-minimum wage – 6 were at Ballard Locks making between $9.00 and $10.50 an hour and 2 other employees at community sites who earned $11.01 and $11.25 an hour. (The Commission reported extremely inaccurate information via a press release stating that there were “at least 130 disabled workers in the city of Seattle making subminimum wage, most making under $1.60/hr. The lowest-paid worker under these exemptions in Seattle makes 20 cents an hour” SCPWD Press Release June 22 2017

The totally false information The Commission released to the press (and previously to the former Mayor and Councilmember Herbold) was discovered as a mistake by the then co-chair of The Commission. This error was pointed out to the person of contact on the Press Release who refused to issue a correction. The author stated – press release already went out, if we receive follow up we can discuss that with those people. He also stated that he would believe the documents he got from Department of Labor over what someone told him. Unfortunately, this person was not able to read the document from DOL correctly and made this huge mistake in numbers of employees and their wages. Commission will not amend press release

This is how the Commission responds to those who questioned their numbers:

Before this issue goes any further under such faulty research and data collection, stop and listen to those whose lives were and will be directly affected by these changes.

I continue to ask the Commission about accountability and transparency – they feel threatened and harassed by me and want to have me banned from Commission meetings.

Maybe the Commissioners should actually read some of the comments I have shared and read the research and documents they presented regarding recommendations. While doing that, they should research what has happened in those other states who have changed their laws – are the people working, have their lives improved? These are all issues that need to be addressed before more action is taken.

The Seattle Disability Commission is proud to be among the first organizations to call for an end to Washington’s exemption to minimum wage laws, which allow employers to pay disabled people, and only disabled people, less than minimum wage.

If your business or organization (operating in the state of Washington) would like to be added, please email sbickley@arcofkingcounty.org . Text is below:

We, the undersigned organizations, oppose the practice of paying workers with disabilities subminimum wage. On April 13, 2018, Seattle joined the states of Alaska, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maryland, in ending the outdated practice of allowing subminimum wage employment of people based on their disabilities. We do not believe workers should be discriminated against on the basis of disability and join the growing coalition advocating for an end to state laws that allow such discrimination.

We believe all workers should be fairly compensated and are entitled to the same minimum wage protections regardless of their disability status. We hope the State of Washington will join other states and cities in taking the lead to put an end to this unfair employment practice.

Sincerely,

Able Opportunities, Inc.
Allies in Advocacy
The Arc of King County
The Arc of Snohomish County
ASUW Student Disability Commission
AtWork!
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Community Employment Alliance
Disability Rights Washington
Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC)
Geeks Without Bounds
Morningside
National Federation of the Blind of Washington
Open Doors for Multicultural Families
People First of Snohomish County
People First of Washington
Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities
Seattle LGBTQ Commission
Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL)
Sherwood Community Services
TASH
Washington ADAPT
Washington CAN
Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
Working Washington
Work Opportunities

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